Recreational horse welfare: The relationships between recreational horse owner attributes and recreational horse welfare

Abstract

In recent years the welfare of recreational horses has become an increasingly important issue, as evident by their high representation in welfare investigations around the world, however, little is known about the welfare of horses used in this capacity. The scientific literature concerning recreational horse welfare has focused primarily on observed welfare problems, measurable welfare indices and the role of welfare indices in horse welfare assessment. To date, very little research has been undertaken to identify the key factors associated with recreational horse welfare and the underlying causes of these welfare concerns.Recreational horse welfare is primarily the responsibility of the ho..